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Posted 1/6/2010 7:09 AM (GMT -5)
Anyone have anything on the benefits of taking flax seed?
Posted 1/6/2010 7:21 AM (GMT -5)
I've never heard of it...but just now found:

 However, the Mayo Clinic (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/flaxseed/AN01712) reports that the alpha linolenic acid in flaxseed may be associated with higher risk of prostate cancer, and cautions that those with, or at risk for, prostate cancer should not take flaxseed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flax

Nuff Said for this boardsmhair

Posted 1/6/2010 7:39 AM (GMT -5)
.... and conversely - other studies show benefit - see below from wikipedia --heavily edited - for full text see link in above message -
Medical effect - Main article: Linseed oil
Flax seeds ... possess anti-cancer properties .... benefit individuals with certain types of breast[9][10] and prostate cancers.[11] However, the Mayo Clinic ... associated with higher risk of prostate cancer, .....This has been contraverted by a study done at Duke which shows benefit for prostate (.... evidence on this point to be mixed and inconclusive.....

it's just like every year it seems they come out with studies that show red wine is good for your heart... then it's bad for youu.. then good then bad.... at time medical science seems to be a crap shoot and we are the dice.

hugs
BRONSON
...............
Posted 1/6/2010 9:00 AM (GMT -5)

I have been using ground flax seed for four years and it has helped me lower my chloresterol from 240 to 170.  It is an excellent source of omega 3's .  It is also a good source of fiber.

What I do is go to my health food store and buy bags of finely ground flax seed.  This is the only type of flax seed you should use.   I then mix two or three heaping spoon fulls of this powdered flax seed in a glass of milk and stir it up good and drink it. I drink one glass every day.  It does not taste very good, but it sure works for lowering chloresterol.  It also has a secondary effect in making your BMs softer due to it high fiber content.  

Posted 1/6/2010 9:24 AM (GMT -5)
It tasted pretty good on almond crunch cereal. I also like it with cottage cheese. I don't eat it very often but I do actually like it. Try putting it on a toasted english muffin with peanut butter. Thats pretty good too.
Posted 1/6/2010 9:55 AM (GMT -5)
Run don't walk to you local health food store and pick up whole flax seeds, then grind them in your coffee grinder. Add it to cereal, yogurt, anything really, they taste great, nutty like

If there is only one change you make to your diet, add ground flax seeds

It is very high in Omega3 which lowers cholesterol, very high in soluble fiber which also helps in lowering cholesterol , triglycerides and especially LDL's and reduces the risk of colon cancer. It is very high in L-Arginine which naturally keeps blood pressure low
Posted 1/6/2010 10:02 AM (GMT -5)
Is there any difference in benefit from the ground seed and the oil in capsule form?
Posted 1/6/2010 11:50 AM (GMT -5)
since mr happy is taking a nap these days, I do like using my other brain
- here is one of many interesting links I googled - using - flaxseed oil vs flaxseed - for word search -

http://www.healthcastle.com/flaxseed_vs_flaxseedoil.shtml

edited section .... Flaxseed oil pills have high concentration of alpha-linolenic acids, which are linked to prostate cancer

on first reading - ground flaxseed is better ( has to be ground since our body cannot break down the seed shell) - we just XXXXX it out (self-edting) :)

at times it seems like going back to school ... all these lessons and the rehabiliition quizzes - when's recess?
hugs
BRONSON
Posted 1/6/2010 11:56 AM (GMT -5)
here's another link regarding vitamins and prostate cancer ... interesting approach ...
http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2007/05/vitamins-and-prostate-cancer.html

hugs
you know who

(off to drown myself in the pizza buffet at Pizza Hut for a treat with my partner )
Posted 1/6/2010 12:05 PM (GMT -5)
Because of the Mayo Clinic observation, I have not added flax seeds to my diet even though the other benefits are astounding. I am really in need of finding something to lower my cholestral since I no longer can take statins (pomegranite and statins don't mix). My doc prescribed something that I drink (cholystrum...somethhing like that) that I'm suppose to take 2X daily but the gas is horrible. Instead I've added 6000-7200 mg of fish oil to one dose of the cholystrum and would love to add flax seed to that but......nono
Posted 1/6/2010 3:04 PM (GMT -5)
Hi James,

Additionally Ground Flax seeds have Fiber, Flax Oil pills do not. Someplace I read that 1 tbsp of ground flax = 8 capsules of Oil just for the Omege-3 benefit

Joey

Which Mayo article did you read, I found 3 that rave about the ground Flax Seeds heart and cancer benefits

www.mayoclinic.com/health/flaxseed/AN01258
Posted 1/6/2010 3:24 PM (GMT -5)
Flax Seed Oil is usually considered a waste of money by most doctors. whole/ground Flax Seed is loaded with lignans - the beneficial fibers and is hugely healthy for everyone. with the Omega oils as mentioned it is a great addition to any diet.

Beware the Budwig diet which is a total diet of flax seed oil mixed with cottage cheese. It is a vicious scam that can even increase the progress of cancer according to some studies. It is a conspiracy theorists dream - based on the belief that doctors don't tell people about the miraculous benefits of the budwig diet because they make no money on it. It is awful. (I had a crackpot brother put my father on it as he lay dying - it ruined what should have been wonderful last moments).
Paul
Posted 1/6/2010 8:42 PM (GMT -5)
I think this was one of the articles referenced in the discussion above: Flaxseed supplementation (not dietary fat restriction) reduces prostate cancer proliferation rates in men presurgery The full-text article is free through PubMed cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/17/12/3577.long.

The discussion is interesting reading - it considerably softens the headline claim:

"...further studies are needed before we can definitively support flaxseed supplementation as a proven complementary therapy for prostate cancer. To date, however, the evidence suggests that flaxseed (a) is a good, low-cost source of select vitamins and minerals and fiber, (b) is well-accepted and safe to use, and (c) warrants further testing as a preventive or complementary therapy for prostate cancer. "


For the type/amount of supplementation used, see Randomization and Implementations section.

Hmm! The more I reads, the confuseder I gets.

Regards, AS
Posted 1/6/2010 9:31 PM (GMT -5)
Give me a New York Strip, baked potato, and sour cream, and some peas.

Just had my walnut removed, why the H do I want to eat and drink a bunch of stuff I don't like ? So I don't get prostate cancer ? What is the point ?

If I was 20 years old, maybe, but at 58, I'm on the downhill run. I can't believe anything I do will slow it up or speed it up very much.

Goodlife
Posted 1/6/2010 9:57 PM (GMT -5)

Steve n Dallas said...
I've never heard of it...but just now found:


However, the Mayo Clinic (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/flaxseed/AN01712) reports that the alpha linolenic acid in flaxseed may be associated with higher risk of prostate cancer, and cautions that those with, or at risk for, prostate cancer should not take flaxseed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flax

Nuff Said for this board smhair

Actually the Mayo link says "To the contrary, there is some evidence that flaxseed may play a role in reducing risk of prostate cancer or limiting its spread."
Here's another study from Duke University from 2007: http://www.cancer.duke.edu/modules/news/article.php?storyid=83
Posted 1/7/2010 12:27 AM (GMT -5)
I do remember reading a newsletter by Dr. "Snuffy" Myers endorsing the use of ground flax seed but cautioning against simply consuming the oil. It was on his site but I cannot locate it there now.
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